Love of the Lioness
by Lord Excalibur
Summary: It's the day after Mine's death and Tatsumi feels as if he has nothing left to live for. Leone wants nothing more than to make him believe otherwise, and maybe even connect with him on a deeper level along the way.
1. Chapter 1: Kill the Mourning

Tatsumi groggily pulled himself out of bed. He looked across his room at a picture of himself and Mine after a successful mission. A lone tear fell from his eye as he recalled the night before. Mine had died in his arms as they kissed for the first and last time. He got out of bed, only to walk to the other side of the room and sit back down, picture in hand. Tatsumi sat there for fifteen minutes staring at the picture full of regret and misery.

Suddenly the door opened and Leone stood there, staring at Tatsumi, wishing there was something she could do to make him feel better.

"Her death was hard on all of us..." said Leone as she slowly walked towards him and put her hand on his shoulder.

Tatsumi slowly tilted his head to look up at her. He stared into her caring eyes and felt slightly better, knowing not everyone he cared about was taken from him.

"Yeah..." Tatsumi mumbled, not able to fully focus on anything besides the picture.

"You really liked her didn't you?" Leone said softly as Tatsumi set down the picture and wiped his eyes.

He nodded as he stood up and turned to face Leone. She stared into his eyes, expecting an answer. A few moments later she could see he wasn't in the mood to discuss it any longer, and asked him if he wanted to go get some breakfast.

"Sure" Tatsumi said softly, clearly not back to his normal mood.

Tatsumi and Leone walked down to the dining room, where Akame stood drooling over the smell of the food she was making. She greeted the two as they sat down, Leone picking up the entire bottle of red wine and taking a drink. Akame stood there, also grieving the loss of her long time comrade. She walked into the kitchen, serving the group their breakfast and sitting down in the chair adjacent to Tatsumi. Najenda walked in moments later and took her seat at the head of the table, quietly beginning to eat her food.

The entirety of breakfast passed by slowly as everyone had refrained from speaking. Shortly after their meal, Tatsumi began washing the dishes. Leone walked up and insisted on helping him. They worked quietely for several moments, neither one speaking. A few minutes later Leone could no longer stay quiet, she turned to Tatsumi.

"I know you miss her, we all do." She said softly, looking at him.

Tatsumi continued to wash the dishes, doing his best to ignore what she had said.

"Tatsumi..." Leone mumbled, regretting she even brought the topic up.

She went back to her dishes as Tatsumi spoke up for the first time.

"It's my fault. If it weren't for me Mine would still be alive, Susanoo too..." Tatsumi said, Leone looked down at the floor, tryint to process what he had just said.

"Tatsumi you know that isn't -" Tatsumi cut her off. "It is true!" Tatsumi growled.

"Why did you guys come for me?! You knew the dangers and yet you still made the choice to rescue me!" Tatsumi said, suddenly filled with anger and sorrow.

"Because we care about you Tatsumi! We all do... some even more than others..." Leone said also filled with emotion.

They opted to end the conversation after that, Leone wondering if he picked up on the hint she gave him.

Later that evening Tatsumi was back in his room with the door closed, presumably mourning his fallen comrades as he had done during his free time for the past twenty-four hours. Perhaps also contemplating Leone's words.

"Some more than others huh...?" Tatsumi mumbled to himself.

Najenda had just recieved word of an underhanded deal just outside the capital. This operation had been allowed by a high ranking officer in the capital's military, and needed to be dealt with. Leone and Akame were sent to the farm. The barn, quite inconspicuous, was very average and aroused no suspicion, perfect for less than reputable characters to assosiate without interference.

"I've got them" said Leone, sensing them in the barn not too far from their current location.

"Good, I'll go in through the roof, you attack from the front." said Akame, emotionlessly.

Leone sprinted forward at an blinding speed, utalizing her Teigu's abilities to their fullest. Akame however took a more stealthy approach, quietly leaping into the air, and in through a window at the second floor. Akame unsheathed her sword, just as Leone was sent through the floor of the barn's second level.

"Leone!" Akame exclaimed, perplexed at the fact that someone was able to land such a powerful blow to Leone.

"The military officer... He's a Lieutenant! Not only that, he has a Teigu!" Leone groaned, coughing up blood.

Mere seconds later a hulking figure burst through the ground with ease. It was a man, very tall and muscular in stature, weilding a massive hammer. Akame steeled herself, preparing herself for the inevitable fight.

"No" Leone said as she got back to her feet.

"I can handle this! Just take care of the little guys!" Leone growled as she cracked her knuckles.

Akame jumped down through the hole made by the hammer weilding maniac and began to dispatch the Lieutenant's less combat-ready associates.

"You don't know what you're in for!" the large teigu user roared as he charged at Leone, hammer raised high above his head.

Leone sidestepped the hammer's crushing blow, mouth agape as she gazed upon the massive destruction caused by the hammer.

"Wha?" Leone said to herself as the Lieutenant smirked.

"I am Lieutenant Guren, and this is my teigu!" he said full of vigor.

"This is the Catastrophe Bludgeon, a warhammer that causes an explosion on impact, utterly destroying everything in its path!" Guren exclaimed, his thunderous voice echoing throughout the building.

Leone grinned, ready for a fight. She lunged forward, fist pulled back. Guren braced himself for impact, holding Catastrophe Bludgeon's head in front of him. Leone's fist connected with the hammer, pushing Guren back slightly. He then pulled the hammer back, preparing for an assult. Leone veered to the left, swiftly dodging the crushing blow. Leone then prepared for an attack of her own, letting out a small roar and dashing at him, landing a blow to his lower jaw. Guren stumbled back, suprised that she was able to land a hit on him.

"What is your name girl?" Guren said, suddenly interested in the details of this powerful stranger.

"Leone" she said, honoring his last wish.

"Who do you work for?" Guren continued his questioning.

"As confident as I am that this is the end for you, I won't be revealing any sort of confidential information." Leone said sternly.

Leone then decided the conversation was over, and began her offensive. She dealt out punches at ludicrous speeds, pushing Lieutenant Guren back and eventually breaking through his defenses entirely and sending him flying through the side of the barn. Guren stood, coughing blood and staggering slightly. Just as Guren steadied himself Leone burst through the wall and directly into an unsuspecting lieutenant, knocking him unconcious and ending the fight.

"Leoneee!" Akame shouted, sword bloodied and face displaying joy.

"I'm fine" Leone said with a smile.

"This is great! Not only did we complete the mission but we even got a teigu to bring back!" Akame said with delight.

"Are you okay?" said Akame, expression switching from happiness to worry the moment she saw all of Leone's injuries.

"I'm fine of course, you know how good my rejenerative powers are!" Leone said, dispelling Akame's worries.

The next fifteen minutes or so was spent traveling back to Night Raid Headquarters, Akame feeling slightly guilty that Leone had to carry the large war-hammer back with them. As they walked home, Leone couldn't help but think of her battle, sure it wasn't a particularly tough fight, but if she had been caught off guard... She decided that her job was too dangerous for her to keep her feelings bottled up inside forever, she would tell him when she arrived home.


	2. Chapter 2: Kill the Confession

Author's Note: I should have explained this in the first chapter but here you go! As you may have noticed this fanfiction doesn't follow the manga at all. It follows the anime up until episode 21 then it kinda branches off and does its own thing. Thank you all so much for reading and a special thanks to Bashabuttonstories! If you like Sword Art Online you should check out his amazing fanfiction, A New Life! Without further ado, here's chapter 2! :D

It was almost morning as Leone arrived home. She thought of the vow she made to herself and decided she would at least wait for him to wake up. Leone thought to herself how he would react, and how their relationship would change, and began to worry. She walked upstairs quietely and peered into his door. Tatsumi lay there, making Leone wish she could lie there next to him. Eventually, she decided it couldn't hurt, and crawled into bed behind him, her arm around him. Leone fell asleep like that, and awoke as Tatsumi did an hour or so later. Tatsumi jumped out of bed when Leone yawned, not yet aware of his guest.

"Urk-" Tatsumi let a noise escape his lips as he turned to face Leone.

Leone finished her cute yawn and gazed into his eyes with a smile.

"Morning Tatsumi!" Leone beamed.

"Good morning..." Tatsumi said, still confused at his friend's sudden behavior, and not in an amazing mood to begin with.

"Any particular reason why you're in my bed?" Tatsumi questioned as Leone sat upright, still staring at him.

Leone blushed, trying to select the right words to express herself.

"Tatsumi." Leone said, suddenly more serious.

He turned to face her, looking away from the picture that meant so much to him.

"Last night I fought a Lieutenant in the capitals army" Leone began.

"I won without too much of a fight, but I can't help but feel that this job is getting more and more dangerous, and there are things I want to say and do before it's too late!" Leone said, suddenly filled with confidence.

Tatsumi stood wondering what she could possibly be getting at. She had really been acting odd around him lately.

"Tatsumi I know it may be too soon for you... But I've been thinking about this for a while, and I want to be with you." Leone said with a straight face, talking more quietly towards the end of her sentence.

Tatsumi stared blankly at her for several moments. Leone, a fearsome warrior and a bold person in general, was experiencing something she never had before. Leone's heart was racing just like in a fight, but to her, the circumstances were much more crucial. Just as Leone believed she couldn't take another moment without a reply, Tatsumi leaned forward and embraced her. Leone sat wide-eyed for a moment, then closing her eyes and smiling as she returned his affection.

"Thank you..." Leone whispered into his ear as Tatsumi began to pull away.

Leone stood up, face inches from his. They gazed into each other's eyes briefly before closing them, leaning into a kiss. They broke apart for need of air several moments later. Leone's heart soared, just knowing he accepted her love made her experience a feeling of true fufillment and happiness.

"Leone..." Tatsumi whispered.

Much like Leone, love was reletively new to him, and he didn't know what to say in response to Leone's passionate actions. He felt better though, after Leone took his hand and smiled. Seconds later Akame burst in, bearing a smile that practically exuded joy.

"Tatsumi! Leone!" Akame shouted as she entered the room.

The new couple jumped when Akame came in, trying to conceal their blush as their hands broke apart. Akame took note of their blushing faces, remembering to question them at a later time.

"Susanoo may be alive!" Akame cried out in joy.

"What?!" Leone and Tatsumi exclaimed simultainiously.

"How!?" Tatsumi asked, excited by the fact that he might be able to see his comrade once again.

"They found his core! Boss may be able to resurrect him if the teigu experts at the revolutionary army HQ can piece it back together!" Akame explained, her face displaying relief.

"That's great!" Leone exclaimed.

The three of them met with Najenda downstairs, discussing the details of the situation.

"...Unfortunately, the core needs to be transported from the rebel army headquarters to here." Najenda explained.

"Why is that bad?" Tatsumi asked, not sure why this was any different from any other time an important item needed transportation without arousing the capital.

"Because" Akame interjected, "Any organic teigu can sense an organic teigu from far away, especially if the core is damaged and constantly releasing energy."

"I see" Tatsumi said, starting to understand how much danger Susanoo's core's escort is going to be in, and unfortunately it would most likely be them.

"Well now that you understand the circumstances, i'm sure you've realized by now the only capable escorts are you three" Najenda elaborated, confirming Tatsumi's suspicions.

"Well then let's go!" Leone shouted, enthused by the fact that she might regain a precious comrade.

"Yeah!" Akame and Tatsumi agreed happily.

A few hours later, the remaining members of Night Raid tred under the cloak of midnight, sprinting in order to pick up the core and get back to the safety of their base in as quick a time as possible. Leone ran slightly ahead of the pack, smile on her face as they got closer and closer to their destination. Tatsumi made a mental note of her expression and how her happiness strangely made him feel better about, well... everything. Dispite the importance of the task at hand, he couldn't help but feel like he had betrayed Mine. Even though everything that happened with both her and Leone had felt right to him, he knew if Mine was still alive, Tatsumi would have to make a desicion. A voice derailed his train of thought, yet eased his mind as well.

"Are you okay Tatsumi?" Leone asked, with a caring smile plastered to her face.

"Fine" He replaid, earning a cute smile for his response.

He felt better knowing she cared, but then worse as he started to believe his potential relationship with Mine was a mistake. At least, that's what he wanted to believe. He wanted to believe that it was merely a pressured action that resulted from the extremely dramatic situation they were in. It was nothing against Mine, and he knew that she would want him to be happy, but he couldn't help but feel guilty. At that moment Tatsumi was snapped out of his concentrated state of mind once again. This time, by a group of revolutionary soldiers who were currently pointing their firearms at the three as the squadron's commander identifyed them and cleared them for passage.

There wasn't much conversation during their short time at the revolutionary army's headquarters, everyone had a grasp of the situation and understood how important it was to get the situation taken care of in minimal time. Tatsumi hastily yet carefully placed his comrade in his backpack as the group walked outside.

They made it half way home without any problems, the only problem then being the group of bandits who made the mistake of trying to rob them. After swiftly dispatching them, they continued their journey. Tatsumi deep in thought but still exchanging glaces with Leone whenever Akame scanned the area. It wasn't as if their relationship was to be a secret, but the cirsumstances hadn't allowed them any time to properly explain their relationship. This time had allowed Tatsumi to think about everything and begin to clear his mind, he did however, feel slightly guilty that while lost in his train of though, the two girls traveling with him dealt with the minor inconveniences such as wild animals or thieves.

Soon after the last time they had to deal with bandits who were oblivious to who they were currently trying to hastle, they arrived back at base.

"Boss we got it!" Akame shouted, alerting Najenda to their presence.

"Great!" Najenda exclaimed as the group walked into the room.

Tatsumi presented her with her late comrade's core, as she looked upon it with fondness.

"Well, then." Najenda said, addressing the group.

"Magatama Manafestation!" Najenda shouted.

Tatsumi, Akame, and Leone watched with high hopes the core of their friend that began to let out a golden glow. The core slowly ascended a few feet off the ground and the cracks began to disappear, raising the hopes of everyone watching what seemed like a miracle. As the group continued observing the ressurrection of their fallen comrade, a small group of assailents prepared to enter the building.

Leone twitched, getting the sense that something bad was about to happen.

"Guys be ready for anything." Leone said sterny, trying to assess the situation as she activated her teigu.

"Why?" Tatsumi asked, head tilted in confusion as Akame nodded, already steeling herself.

Just then, the muffled sound of an impact occured as Leone turned around at amazing speeds, gripping her assailent by the neck.

"Who do you work for?!" Leone interrogated her hostage.

"Doesn't matter..." The assassin said as calmly as one coughing blood could say something.

"By the end of tonight you'll all be dead!" He said grinning ear to ear.

Leone was finished with her interrogation which she ended by crushing her prisoners neck and throwing his corpse to the ground. Just as the group prepared to search the premesis for more enemies, an explosion could be heard, and fire could be seen spreading into the room.


	3. Chapter 3: Kill the Resurrection

**Author's Note****:The first thing I want to say is AKAME GA KILL ENDING WAS STUPID! Not cool Takahiro. Not cool. Also I wanted to apologize for not updating in a long time! I've been really busy but chirstmas break is quickly approaching so i'll make sure to write a ton! Also I've gotten a few pms saying I focus too much on the other characters rather than just Tatsumi and Leone. To try to fix that, I thought maybe I could create another pairing for the story! Pm or comment any pairing ideas. :D**

Tatsumi thought about Leone and prayed for her safety as he slashed through his fourth assailent with ease. He didn't want to seperate from Leone but he knew that strategically they needed to split up to rid themselves of thier seemingly endless attackers. Tatsumi thought back to moments before they split up. Leone had called him paranoid after he suggested they split into teams. Najenda shot the idea down immediately and dismissed the team, opting to stay with Susanoo's core. Tatsumi had been confused the whole time, not knowing what was attacking them or why. Be that as it may, he chose to simply attack first and ask questions never. Tatsumi continued to speed down the hallway, until he was struck from above with a blunt object. The last thing he heard before he lost conciousness was a maniacle laugh that sent shivers up his spine.

Leone's fist connected with another enemy, sending him sprawling across the room, leaving a crack in the wall on impact. She thought of Tatsumi and how he knew that she could take care of herself, but still insisted on staying with her. It made her happy that he actually cared enough about her to suggest an idea everyone knew that Najenda would reject. She smiled as she sent her fifth, maybe sixth, attacker through a wall fifteen yards away. She was deep in thought when a blunt object struck her from above, knocking her unconcious as she heard an ominous laugh that made even her shudder.

"-one! Leone! Leone!" Tatsumi shouted as Leone began to regain conciousness.

"Huh...?" Leone said in confusion as she rubbed her head.

"Leone! Are you okay?" Tatsumi asked.

"I'm fine. What's going on?" Leone asked him, hoping he knew where they were.

"I'm not sure, I was knocked out before I was taken here." Tatsumi said slightly disappointed in himself for not even putting up a fight.

"Eh... So was I..." Leone admitted.

Tatsumi looked down at the thick chain binding them back to back, thinking of a way to escape and begin to figure out what was happening. Just as Tatsumi thought he had an idea to escape, Leone activated her teigu and broke the chains with ease.

"They must not have realized I had a teigu." Leone said with a smile.

Even after exploring for ten minutes or so, the only clue they had to where they were was the fact that they were in a massive cave. Knowing they were underground meant they needed to find an exit, an exit that very well might have been covered up.

"Well..." Tatsumi said.

"At least we're here together..." Tatsumi mumbled, just loud enough for Leone to hear him.

Leone blushed at his words, her thought being the same as his. Leone put her hand on Tatsumi's shoulder. He tilted his head to look her in the eyes. They stopped walking and Leone cupped Tatsumi's cheeks in her hands. They leaned in and kissed passionately. They broke apart moments later, still staring at each other.

"We haven't had time to do that in a while." Leone said, winking as she smiled.

Tatsumi blushed as they joined hands and continued to walk throughout the cave. Occasionally turning thier heads to look at one another with a smile.

Akame ran throughout the building, looking for any sign of her missing comrades. She thought back to what her assailent had revealed to her moments before his death. He was a large man, weilding a massive blunt mace. He had tried to attack her from above by clinging to the roof. Akame had barely been able to dodge it, veering to her left as he slammed to the ground. They hadn't bothered to exchange names or motives, opting to just fight it out. The large man charged at her. Akame, having steeled herself, lunged at him and just as they were about to connect, she dropped to the ground and crouched under him. She pointed her sword directly at his chest and kicked off of the ground. Her sword pierced him in a non-vital spot, still making him lose a large amount of blood and feel extreme pain. Akame pulled her sword out of his chest and kicked him to the ground. She held her sword to his throught and began her interrogtion.

"What are you doing here, and who do you work for?" Akame questioned.

"You shouldn't be concerned with that." The man said with a grin.

"You should be more concerned with your friends." He continued.

"What did you do to them!?" Akame began to snap.

"They didn't react as quickly as you did." His grin widened.

"You won't be seeing them any time soon." He said, coughing up blood.

"Where are they!?" Akame said, pressing her sword into his throat slightly without even noticing.

The cursed poison began to spread across his body. He continued to grin at her as all life left his body. Akame cursed herself for not having more self-restraint, and began to search for her missing friends. Akame snapped out of her flashback, continuing the search.

Najenda sent her fist rocketing through the chest of yet another enemy attempting to kill her and take back Susanoo's core. She had been protecting his core for around fifteen minutes now, and it seemed the main objective of their enemy was to take back Susanoo's core, something she would not allow them to do.

Tatsumi and Leone were now running, they had been in the cave for aproximately half an hour now, and they may have found a way out. There had been a loud noise in the tunnels of the cave a few minutes ago, giving them a hint as to were to go.

"I see the light!" Leone said with joy, running slightly ahead of Tatsumi.

They ran outside, bathing themselves in the sun's warm embrace. Tatsumi scanned the area, trying t figure out just where they were.

"There!" Tatsumi exclaimed, having finally got his bearings.

They could faintly see Night Raid HQ in the distance, along with a bright light that be seen from even that far away. They ran, back to thier Headquarters and thier friends, both of them silently praying for the well-being of everyone in Night Raid.

Akame searched even still for her missing comrades. She had not a single clue as to thier whereabouts, but searching randomly was all she could do. As Akame ran through a hallway, she noticed a bright light shining through the window. Her first thought was to ignore it, but then she realized two things. One, whoever is making that light may know where Tatsumi and Leone are. And two, they may be signalling more enemies. Akame burst through the window and sprinted towards the unusual light. As she got closer she could see the silouette of a man standing just behind the source of the light. Just as Akame pulled back her sword and prepared herself for battle, but just as she was ready to slash the man waved his arm.

Apperently the wave was signalling his two underlings. One of them shot a huge bullet out of a handgun that might be better described as a hand cannon. The bullet connected with Akame's sword, successfully knocking her back. Akame prepared to charge once again as the man's second bodyguard descended on her. She was a short and slender woman, wielding two small hatchets that she began to twirl below her, resembling an upside-down helicopter. Akame realized she had no time to dodge, instead twirling her sword in the opposite direction. Thier blades connected and there were a flurry of sparks, Akame slashed her sword in mid-air to get the blood off.

"Eliminate." Akame said, her face showing nothing but anger and resentment as she turned her attention towards the gunman.

Another massive bullet flew towards her at high speed. Akame sliced in it half, creating two explosions on either side of her. She dashed towards him, slicing in half two more bullets and further destroying Night Raid HQ. She glared at him as she pulled back her sword, this time with nothing to stop her. The man sidestepped her attack much to her suprise. Unfortunately for him, his gun was still in Akame's line of attack, and it was sliced clean in half. She planted one foot on the ground and changed direction as she kicked off of the ground. The gunman, now deprived of his gun, flipped backwards and attempted to kick the sword out of her hands. Akame reacted swiftly by clutching his foot and using his own momentum against him, sling-shotting her with her sword pointed in front of her. Murasame pierced directly through the man's head, killing him instantly. Akame turned to face the mysterious man and the almost blinding light she assumed he was making. He clapped as he drew closer to her.

Leone was able to sense a fight from quite a distance, and upon telling Tatsumi, they began to quicken thier pace. They came closer and closer by the moment and could most likely make out the people fighting if it weren't for the source of light that everyone seemed to be converging on. When they could just barely identify the conflicting individuals, they saw that Akame was on the ground, covered in blood at the feet of a man they knew all too well. Leone picked Tatsumi up (much to his embarressment) and kicked off of the ground and flew towards them at high speeds.

"STYLIIIIIIIISH!" Dr. Stylish shouted as if to signal his minions.

Leone put Tatsumi down and they wordlessly prepared to fight. Just then, a seemingly endless amount of deformed humanoid beings that could only be described as abominations, fell from the sky and landed. They quickly surrounded Leone and Tatsumi, leaving them, outnumbered and confused. Tatsumi opened his mouth to speak but quickly shut it as he turned his attention to the multitude of Dr. Stylish's mutant allies flying into the air and landing with a thud. They continued to be sent soaring until a path was cleared, and Susanoo joined the others in the fray.


End file.
